The investigation is continuing into the alleged match-fixing in Serie A, B and Lega Pro after figures like former Atalanta captain Cristiano Doni confessed.

“I didn’t expect the situation to be so serious,” commented CONI VP Pancalli, who had in the past been a Commissioner of the FIGC.

“This scandal is certainly bigger than Calciopoli, but is also proof that the football system cannot be left to its own devices.

“This represents the problems within a system that sees football become the victim of something much bigger.

“We must intervene strongly and I agree with UEFA President Michel Platini, as those who betray the values of sport must not play anymore, even in a tiny local pitch.”

Most figures in sport reacted angrily to Prime Minister Mario Monti’s suggestion that football be stopped in Italy for two years, but Pancalli was more open to it.

“I am convinced Prime Minister Monti expressed what many Italian football fans said in a moment of shock.

“I don’t think it is the right solution, as to avoid bank robberies you don’t close down the banks. The economic situation cannot allow us to give up on one of the most important industries in the country.”

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